#WeAreArity Wednesday: Patti Rodgers Read article
#WeAreArity Wednesday: Alycia Plattner
In our #WeAreArity Wednesday series, we shine a spotlight on Arity employees. Meet Alycia Plattner from our Operational Excellence team.
Imagine you could instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
My head says Spanish because it’s the most common non-English language spoken in the U.S., and I think it would benefit me greatly. But my heart says Norwegian because I think it would be great to connect with my primarily Norwegian heritage through language.
What is your favorite part of working from home?
My favorite part about working from home is that I have all of the conveniences of home within reach. I can easily step out in the garden, go for a walk with my dog, or have a nice cup of tea anytime.
My favorite part about working from home is that I have all of the conveniences of home within reach. I can easily step out in the garden, go for a walk with my dog, or have a nice cup of tea anytime.
Tell us about your dog.
She is a blue heeler and a rescue. She’s very loving and very sweet. Her name is Sevyn.
What is the earliest book you remember?
I can remember sitting on the couch at home when I was quite young, and I kept reading the book, “The Monster at the End of this Book.” If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a Sesame Street book. The main character is Grover, and he is spending the entire book panicking about how there’s a monster at the end the book because he read the title.
What is your favorite recipe to make? Is there a story behind the recipe?
My favorite recipe to make is hard to choose, but I chose pancakes. The story behind it is in about 2010 or 2011, there was this show called “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” Chef Jamie Oliver had come to the U.S., and he was trying to teach people about how to eat better. He was going into public schools and analyzing the types of foods that the children were eating. It honestly changed my whole way of thinking about food. It made me realize how bad processed food is for you, and how easy it can be to make your own.
The first, from-scratch recipe that I learned how to make was pancakes. I ate a lot of it growing up, but we had the box mix. I found out that it’s super easy to make healthy and delicious pancakes without a box mix.
All-American Pancakes (Makes 8 pancakes)
Ingredients:
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- 1 cup all-purpose flour
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- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
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- ¼ teaspoon salt
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- 1 cup milk
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- 1 egg, beaten
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- 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon melted butter
Directions:
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- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the milk, egg, and 1 tbsp of melted butter and stir until just blended. Don’t over mix – it’s fine if there are a few lumps.
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- Heat a non-stick griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Grease the griddle with the remaining butter. Using a ¼ cup measure, pour the batter onto the griddle. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and bubbles form on the top of the pancake.
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- Flip and cook until the second side is also golden, then serve with your favorite topping.
Notes:
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- I’ll use variations on this recipe, substituting non-dairy milks such as Milkadamia, Oat or Almond Milk. You can easily sub out the egg with a chia egg or use gluten free flour based on your dietary preferences.
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- If you prefer a self-rising flour, you can remove the baking powder and salt from this recipe
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- Top your pancake with blueberries or other add-ins before you flip it for additional deliciousness
What do your family and friends think you do all day at work?
I polled a number of people, and it turns out they think I drink tea and snuggle with my cats all day. But aside from that, I got some good answers from people who believe that I am a coach, an organizer, a motivator, and a leader. I would say that’s fairly accurate.
What piece of advice would you share with your younger self?
I would say do not ever change yourself to make someone else happy. You don’t need to save anyone else but yourself, and you’re valuable just the way you are.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
The first thing that comes to mind is to call a local school and just pay for a child’s overdue lunch account because those people probably need the money. A lot of people struggle.
I thought of that one because of a meme I saw that said, “Instead of purchasing someone’s Starbucks in the car behind you, call your school and pay for a kid’s lunch because they need the money more than the person getting Starbucks.”
And if that doesn’t trigger you to do something good, maybe just volunteer your time with a local nonprofit that makes you feel good.
What advice would you give to someone balancing work and home life?
Have a daily routine and build self-care into it. Whatever self-care looks like for you, just take the time to get away from your desk, get outside, do yoga, go walking – whatever it is that makes you feel like you. It’s like they say on the airplane, “Put the oxygen mask on yourself before you help other people.”
Also, remember that what you’re putting in your body is important. Just because the kitchen is right there, doesn’t mean you need to eat all of the snacks!
